A US woman who shot and killed her husband and two adult children before taking her own life is thought to have committed the shocking crime as a result of being ostracised from the religion she was raised in.

A federal judge sentenced a former Arkansas judge Wednesday to five years in prison — a stiffer punishment than prosecutors recommended — after he admitted giving young male defendants lighter sentences in return for personal benefits that included sexual favours.

Every time I tell a mate I’m doing a story on cryptocurrency, they invariably ask me the same two questions: should they invest their own hard-earned money, and which cryptocurrency will get them a Lamborghini/yacht/island quickest?

In a 60 Minutes online exclusive, reporter Liz Hayes quizzed Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on his relationship with the unpredictable Twitter aficionado and US president Donald Trump ahead of their meeting at the White House Friday.

Defamation case against Jones to continue

Former NSW deputy premier Andrew Stoner's defamation case against broadcaster Alan Jones is set to continue following a brief court hearing.

Justice Lucy McCallum ruled in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday that the majority of the defamatory imputations claimed by Mr Stoner would be allowed to be used to pursue Mr Jones.

The suit was launched after the broadcaster claimed Mr Stoner was "gutless", favoured the mining industry's interests and did Nathan Tinkler's bidding in return for political donations, among other accusations.

The action has also been launched against Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham and relates to interviews on Mr Jones' show on Sydney radio station 2GB in June and August last year.

During the course of several monologues against controversial coal seam gas programs, Mr Jones said Mr Stoner had told a National Party conference in Canberra that protesters were "professional bludgers", the statement of claim says.

Mr Jones also accused the government of preparing to "backflip" on a decision to suspend a drilling licence at Bentley, near Lismore, and said Mr Stoner corruptly preferred the interest of the mining industry over the community.

While many of the comments made by Mr Jones were allowed to be used against him in the courts, Justice Lucy McCallum struck out several others.